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5 Healthcare Organizations Improving Patient Engagement With mHealth

May 18, 2015 | Adam Turinas

Using technology to improve patient engagement is becoming a high priority in healthcare IT. Recently, there has been significant coverage of mobile patient engagement apps. The key question is can mobile technology play a meaningful role in improving patient engagement? We’ve compiled a list of 5 organizations for whom mHealth tools have generated measurable increases in patient engagement.

1. Engaging HIV patients

An Arizona-based pharmacy began offering a mobile application to help patients more easily manage their prescriptions. Prescription adherence increased significantly for HIV patients who were given this interactive text app. The pharmacy could send automated dosage and refill reminders as well as other prescription management functions through this app.

21 percent more HIV patients using the app maintained an adherence rate of approximately 90 percent when compared to those who weren’t using the app.

A recent study published in the Annals of Family Medicine found mHealth tools that enabled patient-physician text messaging had a significant impact on patient engagement. Patients who became more engaged via secure messaging and phone communication were more likely to visit their primary care physician.

Researchers from the Pediatric Primary Care Center of Boston Medical Center tested the effects of phone communications on parents’ engagement in their children’s care.

They found that parents who answered automated questions by telephone before routine pediatric visits were more likely to discuss issues such as depression (42.6% vs 25.4%; P< .01) and children’s medication use and have brought their child’s medication to the visit.

In this small, three month study heart failure patients were given weight scales, blood pressure cuffs and iPad Minis equipped with digital mobile connectivity to daily engage in self-care. 16 out of the 20 participants believed their heart failure was better managed as a result of using the mHealth solutions provided. Researchers believed that the mobile accessibility of the web portal was the driving factor behind the unprecedented, 89% adherence rate recorded during the study.

Philadelphia-based Hahnemann hospital introduced a mobile app that supported text and email messaging to over 350 congestive heart failure patients in a pilot study. These patients received email and text message reminders for follow up appointments after being discharged. At the end of the pilot, 30-day readmissions dropped to 16 percent for patients who received messages. The readmission rates of those who confirmed their appointments through their mobile app was 75% lower than those who didn’t.

The surveys we’ve compiled illustrate the significant role mHealth can play in achieving increased patient engagement, no matter the health circumstance or age of the patient. That said, there are many factors, such as design and app functionality, that can influence the effectiveness of a solution. That’s why we’ve launched a blog series outlining the most critical factors to consider when evaluating which mobile, patient engagement solution is right for your organization.